Fluff and Stuff:a collection of YukixMachi stories
by nalanna
Summary: This is just a collection of short stories based around my new obsession: YukixMachi. They are such a good pairing to write about! Anyway, the stories are based on random themes.Enjoy, and please leave a review on your way out! Chapter 8 up!
1. appleseeds

Hello! It is I with a new fanfic!

These will be a collection fo short stories based around the pairing of YukixMachi. (Be shocked, for it isn't KyoxTohru!) I don't think they can be classed as drabbles, but let me know anyway :D

**Disclaimer: I do not own fruitsbasket. I wish I owned Kyo, but that is a different matter entirely...**

(I don't think that there are any spoilers, but I'll state if there are any in each seperate chapter. There are no spoilers in this, except for one of Haru's crazy ideas.)

* * *

Apple seeds

Sohma Yuki put his pencil to rest with a pretty sigh. He had been working in the Student Council room until quite late, and was desperate to get home and tend to his garden.

He pulled on his coat and made his way out of the school, taking an apple out of his bag as he went. He bit into the fresh, crisp sweetness and savoured the burst of juice in his mouth. He smiled slightly as he remembered that Haru had told him that he used to think that an apple tree would grow in your stomach if you swallowed the seeds.

He stepped outside and the cold hit him with the force of a rampaging elephant. Shivering slightly, he made to put the apple core in his mouth, but was prevented from doing so when a small stone collided sharply with his knuckles. Flinching at the sudden stinging, he turned in surprise to see Kuragai Machi staring at him with her usual blank expression, as if she had not just thrown a stone at the Student Council President, and resident Prince of her high school.

"Machi?" Yuki frowned slightly as he made his way over to her. "Machi, are you OK?"

The petite brunette just stared at him, clearly struggling with her two instincts: run away or explain. While he waited, Yuki tried yet again to finish his apple, but was stopped by Machi, who slapped his hand away from his mouth, and sent his snack flying from his fingers to land with a slight thud on muddy turf nearby.

"Don't eat apple cores." She stated bluntly, before turning away from him and marching off.

Feeling confused and slightly cheated, Yuki hurried after her.

"Machi? What's wrong with eating apple cores?" He stopped in his tracks as a thought crossed his mind. He chuckled. "Do you think that an apple tree would grow inside me?" He couldn't help it- he just had to laugh.

Machi whirled around to face him, her face flushed. She had stopped when she heard the President chuckle, but she was still about three metres away from him. "Of course not!" She snapped loudly, before regaining her self control and becoming a mask once more.

"There are traces of cyanide found in apple seeds." She monotoned, before turning and walking away at full speed.

Yuki stared at her retreating back, to dumbfounded to think to chase after her again, let alone actually do it.

'Traces of cyanide...'

Yuki smiled to himself, and continued on his way home.

So she did care...

End

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That was number one (cheers). The next one will be about soup, that is if you want me to continue. Please let me know, as I love reviews, and when I see "Review alert" in my inbox I get all happy.

On another note, Haru isn't crazy. I shouldn't have said that earlier, as I used to think that a tree would grow inside me if I swallowed apple seeds. I still do to be honest... O.o (It would look quite entertaining wouldn't it...?)

And just to explain, Apples and Soup are my favourite foods. Yummy!


	2. soup

Chapter two! All about soup

I hope it is to your liking.

**Disclaimer: I do not own. Fruitsbasket. Why would I lay claim to it, when I was writing fanfiction about it... O.o**

(There aren't any spoilers that i can think about... let me know if there are, and I will write it here.)

* * *

Soup

Machi lay in her bed, her sheets twisted around her beyond recognition. Used tissues littered the floor and every available surface, and her small Mogeta charm was clutched to her chest, as if it would heal her. Her body wracked with bouts of coughing, her nose sub sequentially streamed and damned up as it pleased, and her head felt as though something was trying to burrow its way out, from the inside.

She grabbed the thermometer that was abandoned on her bedside table and crammed it in her mouth, with thoughts of absolute misery crossing her mind.

She should have worn a coat, she concluded, as the thermometer told her that she hadn't cooled down at all. She should have worn a coat, instead of going out in the rain with just an umbrella. But at the time she had had more pressing matters to deal with, such as the retreating back of Sohma Yuki.

Looking back on it, lying in bed, her body burning up and freezing in equal measure, it was stupid. But she had wanted to greet him. 'Goodness knows why…' she thought bitterly, as she struggled to stand.

She stumbled into her kitchen and started looking for her medicine amongst the general debris. However, she was interrupted by a knock on her front door. For a moment, she considered ignoring whoever it was, but dismissed this idea as pointless. They would only keep knocking until she got pissed off.

She opened the door ready to tell her visitor where they could shove their social politeness, but grasped the doorframe for support instead, because standing on her doorstep was- speak of the devil- Sohma Yuki.

"Hello Machi." He said, concern wrought over his all too perfect features. Machi just stared, too shocked to even say hello back.

Yuki noted her pallid face and mussed up hair. He was right. Machi was ill, and had not absconded to the nearest temple to devote her life to Buddha, as Manabe Kakeru had suggested...

"Machi, may I come in?" Machi stepped aside, too stunned to do anything else. Yuki made his way into the kitchen and forced her to sit down.

"I started to worry about you when you didn't turn up to Thursday's meeting." He said, as he rummaged through the cupboards for some sort of food substance. Machi just watched him without expression, trying to absorb what he was saying. 'Worried?' About her...?

"Um..." She tried to speak, but not using her voice for days, combined with her current state rendered her a coughing mass. Yuki hurriedly poured her a glass of water and made her climb back into bed.

Machi wondered what the hell was going on...

Ten minutes later, Yuki reappeared, balancing a tray of hot steaming soup in his clumsy hands. Machi sniffed: It was potato and leek.

He smiled slightly as she stared incredulously at him. "Leeks are the best things for colds," he explained as she struggled to sit up. "Plus, when I am ill, I like to have soup." He placed the tray gently on her lap, and then looked apologetically into her face. "I'm sorry. I should have asked you what you wanted..."

Machi immediately took a sip of her soup, scorching her already raw trachea, but at the same time, proving that she appreciated him coming over the way he had. She coughed and spluttered, and in general, made a mess of everything. Yuki, alarmed at her reaction, removed the tray out of harms way and proceeded to pound her on the back.

When her coughing abated, she managed to croak out a 'thank you'. Yuki smiled, relieved that he wasn't going to have to perform the Heimlich Manoeuvre- that would have been rather difficult, considering his 'condition'...

Yuki left the room to tidy the kitchen up slightly- not too much or Machi would have gone berserk- and Machi herself proceeded to finish her soup, all the while her mind racing.

When his mauve eyes peered at her from around the doorframe, she only had one question.

"Why?"

He gazed at her for a long time, considering his answer. Finally, he simply stated: "Soup is a miracle cure" and patted her fondly on the head.

* * *

They weren't ooc were they? O.o...

The next one will be about...red ribbon.

Until then!

And please leave a review on your way out. Thank you


	3. red ribbons

This is chapter three! Thankyou very much to those of you who have reviewed so far, and for you encouragement and advice. Thankyou especially to MysticSorceress, who pointed out my errors.I hopeI have taken your advice on board and thatI have improved :)

I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

**Disclaimer:I do not own fruits basket. IfI did, I would make sure I used capital letters in its title... O.o**

**Spioiler warning:** (this isn't so great) but if you don't know Machi's favourite colour then, that is the spoiler. But I guess it says so in the title right... I am an idiot (sweatdrops)

* * *

Red Ribbons

_"Machi-chan, which one is your favourite?"_

_"I like the red ones papa!"_

_"Shall I buy you the red ones then?"_

_"Red Ribbons are the prettiest papa!"_

0.o.0.o.0

"..."

"...Machi...?"

"Machi!"

Machi looked up, jolted from her inner cinema to see her annoying half brother, Kakeru, grinning obscenely in her face.

"Yes?" She answered blankly; she was keen to keep her hidden memories just that: hidden.

"Guess what day it is tomorrow?" She stared him in the eye, not sure weather he was being serious or not.

"Sunday?" A day of rest from her hectic school life...

Kakeru made a noise to indicate that she was wrong. She sighed inwardly. This was going to be a l-o-n-g conversation...

"Tomorrow is a special day!" He replied exuberantly. "And if you don't know what it is then I'm not telling!" And with that he bounced away to annoy Nao, leaving Machi struck dumb from how short the conversation had been- far from what she expected.

She shrugged the exchange off as mindless babble on her brother's part. The rest of the day was spent productively; first she stared into space, examining things that no other human eye could see, and then she snapped a few sticks of chalk, much to the annoyance of Nao (however everything annoyed him so she wasn't too worried). This was followed by more staring, but for a change she stared at objects instead of at thin air.

She was interrupted from her riveting activities by the student president, who tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She turned her head to see him within inches of her own face. Instantly, Machi jumped backwards, a pinkish tinge caressing her cheeks. Yuki gave her a quizzical look, but made no comment.

"Machi, are you OK? I mean, sure that board rubber is interesting but..."

He was teasing her. Again. She wasn't sure whether this annoyed or pleased her.

"I'll stare at something else then," she replied. The boy with the gossamer hair shook his head, causing his silky strands to play with the light reflecting off of it. Machi followed the shifts in light, so as she didn't have to look at his face.

"No, that isn't what I meant to say." He leaned in closer, and this time she had no time to move away. 

"Tomorrow is White day," he whispered. His breath tickled her neck and ear, causing her to feel more flustered. "But, as it is Sunday, I won't see you, so I'm giving this to you now." He pressed a small gift bag into her hands and walked away with a small smile playing across his face, ducking a flying drop-kick from Kakeru as he went.

As Kakeru crashed to the floor and then started complaining loudly about how much pain he was in, Machi lowered her gaze to what she held in her hands. 

It was a small silver bag, with a matching silver tie looped into a bow holding it closed. A note on it read: 'For Machi' in the Prince's neat handwriting. Nothing else...

He had said something about White Day- she didn't really concentrate on what he was saying as it was all she could have done to stay where she was- was this present a White Day gift?

She didn't open it then. She carried it around with her for the rest of the day, wanting to treasure it and hold it dear to her.

0.o.0.o.0

When she got home that evening, she cleared some of the junk that was lying on her bed and flopped down. The little silver bag was in her hands, but she still hadn't untied the little bow holding it closed.

'I should open it.' She thought, before picking up a screwdriver that was lying near her feet and twirling it in between her fingers.

Half and hour later, she picked up the bag and slowly untied the fastening- she noted that one loop was bigger than the other, and wondered briefly if it was done on purpose.

Inside the bag, amongst copious amounts of tissue paper, was a long, velvety red hair ribbon, luxurious to touch and pleasing to the eye. Machi gazed at it, wondering how the President knew of her love of red ribbons...

_'So Machi likes red...?'_

_'Red ribbons are the prettiest papa!'..._

0.o.0.o.0

The next day, she walked into the student council room sporting her new hair ribbon. Many of the student councillors admired how it looked against her chestnut hair, but none more so than Sohma Yuki, who smiled at her with warmth and other unreadable emotions.

They began their weekly meeting, Machi tuning out of most of it as she was sitting next to the President. She wondered how that had come about.

"So that concludes the new gardening club budget" Yuki announced, writing down a few notes as he spoke. "And so, onto the next topic on the agenda- the cultural festival-"

He was cut off by Kakeru, vice president and noisy about it, who started rambling on about his ideas for the next festival. Whilst the populace of the room were focused on her idiot brother- who was good for diverting attention- she leaned in closer to the Prince.

"Red ribbons are my favourite." She murmured, turning an apt shade of red herself. Yuki leaned closer to her, all the time his focus seemingly on Kakeru, and replied: "I know."

[End

* * *

There was the third chapter. I changed the layout a little bit, to indicate the timeshifts. Is it any better? O.o

Please take your time and review, as I do enjoy reading them. Plus, I appreciate constuctive criticism.

Thank you very much:)


	4. brothers

And chapter four! Go me! Whoot!

**Disclaimer:I don't own it.I would be mega rich, and I would be able to draw. Well, I can draw, but not well enough to make a living from it... O.o**

**Spoilers:** I don't think there is any. WAIT! There are hints of backstory, so just be warned...

* * *

Brothers

Yuki and Machi held quit a lot in common, although neither of them knew this.

Both were mistreated when they were infants, by the ones who supposedly loved them the most. Both held some sort of link with 'perfection', he embodying it, she hating it. And yet they seemed to get along fine despite this little problem.

They were both in the Student Council, and although neither of them would ever admit it, they were both secretly enjoying it. However, the main thing that they had in common was-

-"Put it on forthwith!" Sohma Ayame ordered, striking a dramatic and domineering pose. However the effect was spoiled because he was grinning like a maniac.

"I demand to take photographic evidence!" Exclaimed Kakeru, who didn't know the meaning of the 'sitting still' let alone understanding and following it through. "Go on Yun-Yun!" He persisted, as he completed his tenth circuit of the room. "I'm sure Machi is curious too!" He added, an evil grin splitting his face in half.

He made a grand gesture to the girl who was trying-and failing- to climb out of the window. On hearing her name, she gave up her efforts and turned to face the people in the room.

There was her brother, prancing and dancing around like a jack-in-the-box; the woman in the maid outfit and glasses- Mine, she recalled- was pouring tea into dainty cups, smiling to herself in amusement; Yuki's older brother was still in the same dramatic pose as before, and Yuki...

...Looked ready to commit mass murder there and then, with whatever weapon he could find at hand. 

"Is this some sort of sick joke?" He demanded, his voice laced with thunder. He brandished the thing he held in his hands. She couldn't make out what it was, but she assumed it was a costume, as they were in a costume shop. Well, she thought it was a costume shop anyway...

"Why, Yuki, it isn't sick at all!" Ayame exclaimed, finally shifting from domineering tyrant to trained academic, all in one fluid movement. "It is merely a representation of how much I love you, and of how strong our bond is. Plus, I made one for you fine friend!" He pulled out another costume- seemingly from thin air- and displayed it for the others to see. Machi could guess why it was what it was...

Kakeru whooped for joy. He dived at Ayame, wrenching the costume from his hands, and dragged the disgruntled Prince out of the room by his ear lobes, all the while making as big a commotion as possible.

When they had left, the silence exploded in her ears. Ayame and Mine sat sipping their tea as though nothing had happened. Nothing out of the ordinary, that is... Machi slowly sank to the floor and leaned her back against the wall. Contrary to what she would tell herself later, she was curious.

Time seemed to freeze before her eyes. Was it her imagination, or did the second hand on the clock just go backwards? And why was the clock in the shape of a rat anyway?

However, before her brain had a chance to shut down completely, a knock came at the door. Ayame jumped up excitedly and bounded across the room to open it.

"And now," He announced, "for you lovely young ladies to see, may I present to you two dashing young men, clad in only the finest, hand- crafted costumes, made personally by myself." He gave a complicated flourish, followed by a deep bow, before finally opening the door.

"I hate you." Stated Yuki, glaring at his older brother and best friend/fiend. The said fiend/friend grabbed him by the tail and dragged him into the room.

Yes. It was definitely a tail...

"But Yun-Yun!" Kakeru said cheerfully, "You make a great rat!"

The rat- in all senses of the word- reached up irritably to pull off his stick on whiskers. He sighed heavily, resigned to his fate. "Yes," he replied, smirking slightly, "and I can see why you are a banana..."

Kakeru grinned happily. "Oh this is just too awesome!" He yelled, and attempted to run around the room again, but the banana suit got in the way of his feet and he fell flat on his face. 

Mine and Ayame started up a conversation in that strange language of theirs that no one else could understand, and Kakeru picked himself up, only to start bugging Yuki about taking pictures. Of which, the rat refused.

Machi turned her attention back to climbing out of the window...

The main thing that both Kuragai Machi and Sohma Yuki both had in common was:

Their idiot brothers.

[end

* * *

I hoped that it was Ok...I know the idea is far fetched, but because Ayame and Kakeru inspire me with crazy ideas, I just had to write one down. So please don't say anything about Yuki never wearing a rat suit. I KNOW it would never happen, but this is _fanfiction_, right?

Ladies and gentlemen, nalanna has left the building 

xoxoxox


	5. gardening

So here is chapter...what chapter is this... O.o

There isn't any spoilers anyway :D

**Disclaimer: I don't own. Seriously. I do own volumes one-fifteen plus the fan book...**

* * *

Gardening

"President san! President san!" Yuki turned in alarm to see two first year girls running towards him, looks of abject horror spread across their faces.

He stopped walking, all thoughts of food gone from his mind as the pair skidded to a halt in front of him.

"Yes?" He inquired politely.

"President san, you have to do something!" Panted the shorter of the two, leaning on the taller girl for support.

"She's destroying the crops we planted! There won't be anything left!" The aforementioned taller student spluttered between rasping breaths.

The student president needed no other explanation. He thanked the girls hurriedly, then took off towards the school garden, knowing now why they were so out of breath.

"_She's destroying the crops we planted!"_

Translation: Machi had unleashed her powers of destruction on the gardening club.

He hurtled around a corner -narrowly avoiding a serious collision- and all the while his mind raced faster than his legs, trying to work out what could have upset Machi so much that she was destroying the garden.

Two minutes later, he arrived at his destination, panting slightly, but not sweating.

It was worse than he thought; the new flowers had been pulled up by their roots, their petals plucked from the stalks in fistfuls. They were then strewn across the ground, tragic victims of fate.

The neatly trimmed beds were now unrecognizable, the soil kicked out to as far as where Yuki stood, almost two meters away; the once leafy inhabitants had been snapped and trodden on.

Further away, Machi knelt on the ground, systematically pulling up leeks and smashing them into the floor. She didn't look to see where they landed, but moved on to her next task of kicking the soil over, so that all evidence of the neat row of crops disappeared.

The silver haired boy understood. It was all neat and well maintained- very much like his own garden. The perfection must've driven her crazy.

He strode over to where she was and knelt beside her. The first she knew of him was when he took the spring onion she was decimating from her hands and began shredding it himself.

She looked at him in shock. She watched as he stripped away the layers of the onion, separating the gossamer fine strands with his fingernails, then peeling them away in entire sheets. His face registered nothing but concentration, his amethyst eyes trained on the vegetable.

He had no idea what this was going to achieve; he didn't know that this was what he had planned to do as soon as he saw her. What he did know, however, was that he held her attention.

When he had finished, he looked up at Machi, who had been watching him in silence. They stared at each other for a long time; neither of them willing to break the spell that they had weaved around themselves.

Slowly, Yuki reached out his slender hand and picked up a nearby leek. He offered it to her, as if he was saying: "go ahead." She took it from him and held on to it, making no move to copy her fellow student council member. All the time their eyes were locked on each other: deep mahogany... piercing purple.

"It's over," he whispered gently, still looking into her eyes. There was a ring of green around her pupils, and flecks of gold in her irises. He'd never noticed before.

Slowly, she nodded, their eye contact breaking as she hung her head, her thick hair concealing her face.

"I wanted"- She mumbled, twisting her fingers in her lap. "I wanted to see if I could plant something." A faint flush began to creep up her neck. "Strawberries… only I don't have a garden at home…" Her voice trailed of and she continued her study of her fingernails.

The Rat pushed her hair out of her face with a sweep of his hand and tucked his piano fingers beneath her chin. He gently forced her head up so that he could see her clearly.

"I'll help you grow strawberries," he told her, smiling slightly as her flush deepened. "I am something of a horticultural enthusiast myself."

The council treasurer's eyes widened and she nodded furiously. She even managed a flicker of a smile, which Yuki returned.

Satisfied, he let go of her chin to survey the damage that surrounded them. The cleanup would take a few hours at least, not to mention all of the explanations that would be required of him. Plus, the Gardening club would need to be compensated… It all added up to a mountain of extra work that, no doubt, would be too much trouble for his vice president and secretaries.

He felt a small tug on the back of his shirt and he twisted to see Machi standing next to him.

"I'll help." She stated, before walking off in search of bags to put the debris in.

"Ok." He replied, long after she had gone.

end

* * *

So that was chapter... whatever it was. I hope you like it... O.o

The next one is about the sky.

I'd like to thank:

**MysticSorcerer**

**professorkatze**

**Makayla**

**Kountry101**

**SketchyCord**

**Kyki- The Late Night Writer **

Thankyou so very much for your reviews, they mean a lot to me. Please review some more, as i appreciate the encouragement and critisism.

Till next time!

This has been nalanna...


	6. fight

**Authors note:**

Ok, so i think this is chapter seven. Sorry for the long wait between the update. i had lost inspiration for this series, and I started my own original work for fictionpress, so i apologize!

This chapter was derived from the whole "footoprints in the snow" blah blah blah... but i didn't want to be cliche. I hope it isn't cliche O.o

And please review at the end of it

* * *

Fight

"I've come to make footprints with you."

Machi stared blankly at the Prince, cloudy breath pouring from both of their mouths. It had been snowing for a couple of days now, and the ground was smothered in a blanket that wasn't really a blanket.

He looked at her expectantly, smiling at her lack of response. "Machi, I _promised_ you."

She turned her back on him and went into her apartment. He followed her somewhat hesitantly as she hadn't invited him in. However, seeing as she hadn't slammed the door in his face, he assumed that it was OK.

"Shut the door behind you." She mumbled, shifting some of her belongings from a chair so that he could sit down.

The Sohma boy was confused to say the least. He slipped out of his shoes and outdoor clothes; as there was nowhere for him to hang his coat, he followed Machi's lead and dumped it on the floor.

"Don't you want to walk in the snow today?" He asked as he sat down, his voice laced with curiosity.

She shook her head furiously, her back to the window, as if determined she was going to ignore it. "No," she raised her eyes from the floor to look at him, and a faint flush crept up her face. Yuki just watched her, his mind not computing what she was saying. She hated the snow because it was too perfect, so why didn't she want to deface it?

The brunette shifted and he was torn away from his ponderings to see that she was heading to the kitchen.

"How rude of me, I didn't offer you anything to drink…"

"Oh you don't have to-"

But the sounds of tea preparation cut him off. Sighing, he stood up and went to help her. She would probably tell him to sit back down, but he could at least try.

When he reached the doorway to the kitchen, all thoughts of help disappeared from his mind as he saw Machi trembling from head to toe, gripping a teapot so hard it was in danger of cracking under her fingers.

Alarmed, he rushed over to her and gently prized the endangered item from her hands and replacing it with his own. Her trembling was more violent than it looked; he could feel his body shaking as he gripped her fingers in his own, or maybe that was just his reaction to how close they were.

"Please," he whispered, gripping harder as she made to pull away, "tell me what you're thinking. I can't help if you don't say anything."

She looked distressed, as if she wanted to start crying, but was clearly fighting it with all her will. It took several minutes for her to look at him, during which Yuki just held her hands in his, hoping that it was some comfort to her.

"I don't want to walk in the snow," she finally managed to say, her eyes earnest, her cheeks flushed. She took another deep breath to steady herself and continued,

"I don't want to, because… I need to-to… fight it…"

The boy frowned, concerned that something was terribly wrong. Surely he couldn't have missed anything- he had been watching her like a hawk for months on end. He knew her expressions and mannerisms and countenance like the back of his hand. Forcing himself to stay calm, he replied, "what are you fighting, Machi?"

The mention of her name from his lips caused her to redden more deeply than before, but she ignored this and made herself look into his eyes and answer his question.

"My phobia of perfection…"

Nonplussed, the Rat let go of her hands and started to pace the room as best as he could with the various paraphernalia littered on the floor. Without her hands in his, he felt cold.

"I-I don't want to be afraid of perfection anymore." She continued, slightly alarmed at his reaction, "because it's holding me back. I can't even look at crossword puzzles because the squares are all the same size. It's disabling me." She finished sadly, her eyes locked onto the back of his head.

He turned around suddenly, and with a smile of pure happiness, simply said,

"Thank you."

end

* * *

**End note**

So hopefully it wasn't cliche or sappy or icky. As you can gather, they are getting closer. Yay!

Please review!

nalanna xoxo


	7. Paperwork

Thankyou To **MysticSorcerer **for the idea of upside down paperwork

There aren't any spoilers in this chapter :D

**Disclaimer: Don't own the rights to Fruitsbasket. Just the mangas. And episodes one to four of the anime :D**

Paperwork

The rain pounded down on the roof of Kaibara Highschool. Yuki sat in the student council room wading through piles and piles of paperwork that had been hidden by the vice president. The rat muttered bitterly to himself as Kakeru's excuses echoed through his head…

__

"Ahhh Yun-yun… so that is where all our missing paper work went. Ahahahahaha…"

"That doesn't even qualify as an excuse." He pointed out to the post -it notes, and jumped out of his chair in fright as they replied, "what doesn't?"

He looked around the apparently deserted council room wildly, trying to banish his recollections of Kimi's assurances that the room was haunted by a former council member.

He was saved from his crazy half-formed imaginings with the appearance of the council treasurer. Although _why _she was crawling out of the store cupboard on her hands and knees, he couldn't guess.

"Pardon?" He asked, before realising that he was still brandishing the stapler in a very Ayame- like pose. Shifting as subtly as he could, he sat himself down and began composing himself. Machi clearly had no idea that anything was wrong, because she just repeated what she had said.

"What doesn't qualify as an excuse? You were talking to the post-it notes…" She avoided looking directly at him. Was that a smile playing at the corners of her mouth?

Yuki sighed, and tried to brush it off. Although the fact that she was smiling at him being a complete idiot was not reassuring.

"Your idiot brother hid three weeks worth of paperwork. Beneath _the floor boards_."

Machi sighed. "I am sorry for your trouble-"

-"Oh, please, it isn't your fault," he cut in, embarrassed that she was apologising on his behalf.

A silence fell upon them, in very much the same way as a cloud of dust settles on a television. Yuki couldn't think of anything else to do, so he returned to his paper sorting. It was long and tedious work, and he had to get it done before he went home that evening.

Machi watched him from her position on the other side of the room. He hadn't even asked her why she was crawling out of the store cupboard. Either he hadn't noticed- which she was pretty sure he had, as his face looked incredibly comical as she had stood up- or he was totally preoccupied with the backlog of paperwork.

She could help him; she didn't have anything to do, and she was wide awake after her nap in the cupboard…

Before her common sense could stop her, she had picked up half of the paper tower and had carried it to her own desk. "I'll help," she stated evenly- which probably sounded like a monotone to his perfect ears.

She twitched, but otherwise, remained calm. Ever since she had admitted to him that she was fighting her fear of perfection, she had been more aware of it than ever. She could hear it in the rhythm of his pen strokes, see it in the symmetry of his frown, sense it in the beating of his all too perfect heart.

All too soon she was working on auto-pilot; sorting and stapling sheaves of paper had become second nature to her. Her mind wandered over to the Student President, and considered his finer imperfections.

His hair was always a mess, she conceded. And he couldn't function properly in any social settings. She had observed this over the two yeas that she had come to know him- he smiled and answered any questions posed to him; made polite small talk when it was needed, but otherwise, he kept to himself. Only when they were alone together did he seem to come out of his shell a little.

However, the more she thought about it, the more she realised that she was thinking about herself, and not the President.

"…Machi? I said are you OK?" Machi looked up from her work to see that the silver haired boy had shifted from his seat over to her desk, and was about mile too close for comfort. She flushed and babbled, her mind still on auto pilot. By the time it had caught up with the situation, she had made a complete idiot of herself.

Yuki watched in astonishment as her skin changed from pale to ruby in the space of a nanosecond. 'What on earth had she been _thinking?'_ He wondered, trying to suppress the hope that it was about him.

"…I'm fine!" She choked out, pressing herself as far back from him as possible.

He attempted to ignore this fact as he pressed on. "It's just that… well… these papers are _upside down._" He indicated the offending papers with a graceful wave of his hand. Despite the fact that he would kill anyone who even suggested that he was similar to Ayame, it was true.

The no longer babbling girl stared blankly at the papers he was holding. It took her a while to realise that when she was on auto pilot, she really _was_ on auto pilot, and she hadn't made a conscious effort to stop avoiding perfection. She had been practising stapling papers the same way up for weeks on end, and she had though that she had got the knack of it.

Clearly not, as the proof was before her eyes.

"Sorry…" She mumbled. There was nothing else that she could say. And Yuki would be disappointed in her… For some reason that upset her more than the fact that she had fallen back into old habits.

The boy smiled and shrugged. "It doesn't matter." He replied, throwing the papers down onto their original pile. After ensuring that the edges didn't meet, he touched her head lightly, then made his way back to his seat.

"Keep trying Machi. You'll do fine."

It was only later that evening, whilst Machi lay in bed, cuddling her Mogeta charm, that she knew he was right.

It was the first time she had ever felt hopeful in her life.

Please review! Thankyou very much :D

Nalanna x


	8. make a wish

I have updated!! Seriously, this has been written down on paper for weeks, and this was the first chance I got to update.

I'd just like to say thankyou to everone who has reviewed!

**MysticSorceror: **Your comments and criticisms are very welcome anytime

**professorkatze: **Omigosh you're nuts! Your reviews made me giggle

**Makayla: **you know who you are :D

**Kountry 101**: Thankyou for reviewing, I appreciate the support

**SketchyCord:** I'm glad the banana suit was to your liking!

**Kyiki- The Late Night Writer:** I want a Yuki plushie!!

**Kyonkichi-san: **Thankyou for being so supportive of me. And thankyou for taking time out to point out mistakes, even if I never did correct them...Oo

**sakura skies:** Your suggestion about making them closer?? Well i did!

**music.is.my.soulmate.: **I'm liking one of the ideas you gave me, so watch this space!

**Jenna Amelia Penelope Brown: **You are right! Big up the YukixMachi fics! (although i do have my fair share of KyoxTohru fics...)

**Amber:** This pairing isn't my fave, but is my second fave :D

**Uzumaki Hinata: **I read your review after coming off of holiday, and it made me happy. It's a shame I couldn't reply, so this is it instead. You also kind of prompted me to update, so thankyou for the kick up the ass! (PS, Love the name! i totally agree)

I think that was all of you... sorry if I missed you out, but I'm hungry and deficiant in concentration.

**Disclaimer:** i don't own the copyrights to fruitsbasket. honestly...

Make a wish

"Machi?" When Tohru ushered the brunette into the sitting room, Yuki felt his jaw hit the metaphorical floor. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would see the school council treasurer standing nervously in his home.

"I'll err… go and make some tea…" Tohru gabbled, as she backed out of the room at high speed.

The treasurer stood in the presidents sitting room feeling extremely annoyed with herself; visiting Yuki had seemed like a good idea at one o clock in the morning- the thought having been induced by sleep deprived delirium of course.

"Err." Yuki cleared his rapidly drying throat. What was he meant to do in this kind of situation? However, he took the initiative and motioned that they should sit down.

As the silence stretched onwards to eternity, he felt a pressing need to break the tension.

"I'm err…" Machi jerked violently at the sound of his voice. Alarmed, he forgot what he was going to say, and faltered.

"I'm err… err…" Their eyes met across the coffee table, and he felt his control slip a few more notches. As they watched each other, Yuki couldn't help but remember the time when Machi had decimated the school garden. They had shared a Moment then. Yes. With a capital "M".

"You err… err?" The brunette prompted. It was during times like these that she felt most comfortable with the silver haired youth. She liked to watch him work himself into a mess over the slightest things. It showed his true colours, his real personality. She couldn't help but tease him sometimes, as no one else would.

He grinned in embarrassment. "I'm not a very good host," he finally managed to say.

"At least there's somewhere to sit here," she replied with a trite smile, "when you visit me, you have to clear a path to find a seat."

"That's true!" He laughed at all of the memories he had of fighting through her clothes to get to the bathroom.

Outside, the sun that had previously stayed hidden behind the clouds, burst forth, bathing the room with warmth and light. The pair sat admiring the play of light on the scene beyond the window, basking in the glow of each others company.

His hair shone; Machi couldn't help but adore it. Half amused, half disgusted with herself, she thought about how unlike the Prince Yuki fan club idol he really was. The complete opposite of a prince…

She tried to snap out of it. Thinking like this wasn't going to change things. Who cared about his silken hair, ivory skin and gossamer eyelashes…

'She's beautiful', he thought. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't avoid it. It made his feelings for Honda -san seem so silly and childlike in comparison. But this… this was the opposite of silly. This was… this was…

Her hand shot forwards and touched his face; her fingers grazed the soft skin around his eye, before drawing back, leaving a tingling sensation in their place.

"Eyelash," she explained, holding the barely visible hair out for him to see. Her face reddened as she did so. "Make a wish." She whispered, holding her hand to his face. She smiled at his stupefied face, but refused to laugh. This was… this was…

"When you pick an eyelash off of your face," she explained as evenly as she could, having just felt the president's breath on her fingers, "you're supposed to make a wish and blow it away." She stole a shy glance upwards, so that their eyes met again. "Then your wish comes true."

In all seriousness, Yuki closed his eyes, and, with painstaking accuracy, blew gently on Machi's fingers, sending his rogue eyelash floating away.

Later, when it was time for her to leave, she turned to him in the doorway and said, "I hope your wish comes true."

He smiled his gentle smile and drew her closer to him. He leaned forwards and placed a tender kiss on her lips. As he pulled away, he whispered, "It already has."

end

Ta daaaaaaa! Hopefully, I'll update again soon, before college starts preferably, as then i will have no time for fiction writing.

Please review!

nalanna x


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